Christmas Ghost Stories
by Lumendea
Summary: The Doctor only intended to bring Rose back to Earth for a holiday visit, but ghosts have been sighted in York. With Christmas Eve in full swing and strange people appearing and disappearing all through the old city, Rose and the Doctor need to figure out what is causing the problem before all of York becomes a land of ghosts.
1. There'll be Parties for Hosting

Christmas Ghost Stories

Chapter One: There'll be parties for hosting

By Lumendea

AN: Welcome to this year's Christmas Special. I seem to have officially settled on making them their own stories so we'll stick to that format from here on out. This year I didn't even need to pause my normal season. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the episode and have a lovely holiday, whatever you celebrate this time of year.

…

Bannerman Road was a lovely road in the Ealing district of London. The houses were all made of solid red brick and most dated back to the 1970s. One Doctor Lavinia Smith had owned number 13 before being passed on to her niece Sarah Jane Smith when Lavinia had moved to the country. Nothing on the outside of the house gave away how odd its inhabitants were. Across the road was the Tyler house which was surrounded by an impressive garden that was covered against the snow. Christmas decorations lined the windows and doors of both houses and Christmas music could be heard coming from the Tyler house.

Sarah Jane's kitchen had a fairly open design. The island in the center provided plenty of counter space without cramping the walking area too badly. On the fridge were a collection of photographs of Luke and Skye with their parents and a few colored pencil drawings that were actually very good. It was unbearably domestic, and the Doctor wanted to escape.

Unfortunately, there were far too many he cared about involved. Accidently or not-so-accidentally hurting the feelings of one of the people involved while grating, was doable. Hurting Sarah Jane's, Rose's, Barbara's, Ian's, Liz's, and Alistair's feelings all at once was out of the question. Well, maybe not Alistair, the old boy would probably understand. Rose would too, but she'd be disappointed.

So he kept slicing the blocks of cheese into cubes like Sarah Jane had told him to. It was a good thing that the Monk couldn't see him now. The Master would likely despair if he were still alive at how deep the humans had gotten their claws into him. Holding back a smile, the Doctor was surprised that the imagined reactions were amusing rather than painful. Footfalls made him look up. Skye Smith came rushing into the kitchen and all but vaulted up onto one of the stools along the island.

"Hi, Doctor," she said. "Rose banished me."

"Did she? I thought she was telling you about Rome?"

"She was," Skye agreed. "I think its neat that they painted the statues. Gran had told me that before on one of our trips to the museum, but I bet it was neat to see in the past."

"It was," the Doctor agreed. "Rome was very colourful."

"It sounded like fun, well most of it, not the part where you were in the gladiator ring," Skye said. "Or Rose being turned into a statue of Athena."

"Minerva," the Doctor corrected automatically. "But close."

"Well, I think Rose as a goddess of wisdom was a good choice," Skye said. "Though the Goddess of Luck and Fortune isn't bad either. She always seems lucky to me. I still think it's neat that you made the statue of Rose to close that time loop," Skye said. She shifted around some of the biscuits on the trap next to him with a little smile on her face that didn't bode well. He knew that smile. It was Sarah Jane's pleased and gloating smile. "It's sweet."

"It was necessary to prevent a paradox since you found the statue of Fortuna," the Doctor said. "And it kept Mickey from killing me."

"Yeah, but you said that the artist was 'enamored' with her." Skye made little quotes with her fingers and smiled.

The Doctor grimaced at the reminder. When they'd found the statue, he'd been a bit put out at the idea of some sculptor capturing Rose like that and had run his mouth. Skye's little smile only twisted the knife, and he could feel his face heating up.

"Don't you need to go and help your mother?" the Doctor asked.

"Nope," Skye said. She leaned back a little, still smiling. "I'm not allowed by the Christmas lights. I get too excited and make them short out."

The Doctor was very grateful for the change in conversation. "Still having problems with that?"

"Not much," Skye said. "I only produce electrical signals when I'm either really happy, excited or upset. Spock is even willing to come out when I'm close by. Luke's been studying it." Skye wrinkled up her nose a little. "Not in a bad way of course. My brother wouldn't hurt me, but last month we went out to the field, and Rani and Clyde helped him set up a bunch of sensors. Clyde made me laugh, and Rani told me sad stories." Skye frowned and looked downcast. "I didn't like the sad stories so once Luke got his readings Clyde made them happy stories again."

"Sorry to hear that you had to get sad, but it's for the best that you understand your abilities," the Doctor said. "It's in your DNA, probably part of your brain's quantum field."

"That's what Luke thinks," Skye agreed. "Clyde says its too bad that I can't control it better or use it to control electricity. Then I could be a superhero."

The Doctor chuckled. Skye was a little sponge, absorbing all the pop culture around her. "You'd make a lot of enemies messing with people's phones."

"That's what Rani said!" Skye shrugged and stole a piece of cheese. "And I'm busy with school. I'm doing pretty good, but I get confused sometimes about things. I don't have Luke's memory for memorizing everything."

"Skye, sweetheart," Sarah Jane said. "Please go and finish tidying up the dining room. I think it needs some dusting."

Skye smiled at her mother and jumped off the stool. As she vanished, the Doctor exhaled. He'd had a gob in other bodies, but he was sure that he had never and would never be able to talk at the rapid pace that Skye did.

"She's a bit excited," Sarah Jane said. "Skye loves Christmas and last year… well with the gas it was more stressful than I wanted." She inspected the cheese. "Thank you, Doctor. That's perfect." She gave him a teasing smile.

"Why am I here?" the Doctor groaned. "I should be in the TARDIS."

Sarah Jane just laughed at him. Honestly, was no one on his side. "You felt bad because when you brought Rose here last week Skye had discovered a statue that looked just like her and you two promptly took off on another adventure. You're lucky that Jackie didn't cause a regeneration."

"Yes, that's why we came right back," the Doctor said. "I meant your house. What am I doing in your kitchen." He looked down at his hands and groaned. "Slicing cheese!"

"Because Luke is helping Johnny put up the last of the lights and I don't quite trust Skye to concentrate on using a knife for that long just yet. Rose is running a check on Spock, Rani and Clyde are with their families, and Barbara and Ian ran out to do some last minute shopping. That left you to help me."

He stared at her as Sarah Jane took down some glasses with a soft smile. She was very happy, but that didn't stop the frantic inch to get back to the TARDIS. "Besides, you can hide in the TARDIS from Jackie's party tonight. But I warn you, Doctor, I will expect you at dinner tomorrow."

"I don't do this, Sarah," the Doctor said. "You know that."

"And yet you agreed when Rose did." Sarah Jane smiled at him, reaching over and touching his shoulder. There was that pleased 'I know something you don't smile' of hers. "And honestly between the two options of my dinner or Jackie's party, I think you made the right call. Jackie's party tends to… well, it's a bit legendary now. The only reason she doesn't get noise complaints is that everyone attends."

"Rose has said that the police used to be called all the time at the Powell Estates," the Doctor said. "We'll be cleaning up all morning!"

"Yes, but Jackie will be in no shape to do it." Sarah Jane laughed. "I'm oddly fond of that woman, but she and Gita together are a bit frightening sometimes. I expect rather horrible hangovers in their futures."

"I can't believe she's Rose's mother," he grumbled.

"Jackie is a good person. A bit overbearing sometimes, but given the knack for trouble that Luke and Skye have, I find myself understanding. I can't imagine what raising a child like Rose must have been like."

The Doctor found himself smiling, remembering just how much trouble Rose was as a child. She still found trouble easily, but at least she was better at getting herself out of trouble now. Chuckling, he shook his head fondly.

"Fair point," he conceded. "So being a mum? It seems to suit you."

Sarah Jane rewarded him with a bright and happy smile that wrapped around his hearts. Suddenly the kitchen wasn't so small and confining. She nodded a little and glanced at her fridge where the photos were.

"It's nice," Sarah Jane agreed. "Luke and Skye have bonded, I have Johnny, and my career is going well. Even when the children cause a bit of trouble, I'm still grateful for them." Sarah Jane picked up her tea and took a sip. "What about things with you and Rose?"

"Me and Rose?" the Doctor asked. His eyes widened, and his mind spun in a thousand different directions.

"How are things with you?" Sarah Jane asked, a touch too innocent. "The pair of you seem to work well together; I hope things on the TARDIS are comfortable."

"Oh, yes," he said. "That's fine. She's good company. Though she can be a bit bossy about meals."

"You needed that," Sarah Jane replied. "You were a bit too skinny." Nodding at him, she smiled a little. "You look healthier now, superior Time Lord physiology or not."

"Maybe."

He was rescued from the far too personal conversation by someone coming down the stairs. Then Rose came through the doorway, looking a bit tired, but pleased. Rose's hair was a bit of a mess, piled up on the top of her head in a bun with hints of dust and maybe some grease. Her skin was flushed with a bit of sweat, but she looked happy. Grinning at them both, she went to the sink and rinsed off her hands.

She reached for the paper towels. "Didn't want to dirty your towels," Rose explained quickly. "Everything looks good. I don't see any problems."

"Thank you for taking a look," Sarah Jane said. "Luke's made a point of studying Spock's systems, but you did build it. I think Spock is more at ease knowing you checked everything over."

"Not a problem," Rose said. Leaning against the counter, she dried off her hands and then cleaned her face using the wet paper towels. "Honestly, when I stop to think about it, I'm a bit in awe that I managed to build that interface."

"It is impressive," the Doctor agreed. "You did a great job."

Rose glowed at the praise, a faint blush on her cheeks and she nodded. "Thanks for bringing us back for Christmas."

"He landed too early," Sarah Jane said. "And then you two ran off to Rome."

"It was your daughter's fault," the Doctor protested. "We needed to find out what was up with that statue."

Sarah Jane shook her head fondly. "I'll be honest, that is one of the strangest stories you've ever told us."

"It was a strange one," the Doctor agreed.

"A bit," Rose said. "But I doubt it will be the strangest thing ever." She looked to Sarah Jane. "What about you? The kids said that you recently had an adventure of your own."

"It wasn't anything too serious," Sarah Jane assured them. "But, you'll like this: apparently, a blog about aliens has recognized that this area sees a lot of activity."

"Uh, that's not really a good thing, Sarah Jane," Rose said.

"No, but they've nicknamed it the Ealing Triangle," Sarah Jane said. She laughed and shook her head fondly. "And don't worry, Spock is keeping an eye on it."

"Still, can't imagine that Kate is happy with that."

"Actually when I told Kate her response was that it was probably better that those interested are watching Ealing rather than UNIT."

"Again, not sure that I like that," Rose said.

"I agree," the Doctor said.

"UNIT is aware and will step in if necessary," Sarah Jane assured them. "You can both calm down a little." She rolled her eyes fondly.

Then Rose heard someone shouting her name. Sarah Jane frowned at the noise and Rose headed for the front door. Falling into step with her, the Doctor grimaced as he realized it was Jackie's voice right before the woman threw open Sarah Jane's front door. Jackie was dressed in one of her track suits, and the Doctor inwardly groaned at the onslaught of pink.

"Rose!" Jackie looked right at her daughter, waving her phone around. "Rose! Phone for you!" The Doctor tensed as Jackie glanced at him. She didn't scowl, thankfully, and passed him by. "Rose! It's the Prime Minister!"

Rose smiled at her mother, the calm and patient expression on her face a perfect foil to her mother's frantic and eager expression. Jackie waved the phone in her face, and Rose nodded her understanding.

"Who's the Prime Minister?" Rose asked quickly as she took the phone.

"Harriet Jones!" Jackie huffed. Crossing her arms, she gave Rose a disdainful look. "Honestly!"

"I don't live here anymore," Rose said. Then before her mother could say anything more, she brought the phone to her ear. "Hello, Harriet."

"Who's the Prime Minister," Jackie muttered. Then to the Doctor's horror, she stomped towards him. "Can't you bring her by when there isn't trouble?"

"I didn't know," the Doctor defended quickly. "Besides, the TARDIS prefers to go where I'm needed."

"Where you're needed? You make it sound like it's alive."

"She is," the Doctor said. He wanted to get along with Jackie for Rose's sake, but if she started going off on the TARDIS, it was going to be difficult. "And she adores Rose."

That seemed to cheer Jackie up for some reason. The woman beamed with satisfaction and nodded to herself as if it was the most natural thing for the TARDIS to adore her daughter. She was a strange woman; the Doctor did not understand how Jackie could complain about aliens one second and then be pleased because an alien ship liked her daughter. Rose said that she was trying to be more accepting, but she still seemed to hate him.

"Well, at least it's got good taste then." Jackie scowled a little again. "How'd the poor thing wind up with you?"

"I stole her," the Doctor answered before he thought better of it. When Jackie opened her mouth, he quickly added. "She let me. The TARDIS had been decommissioned and was just going to rot. She let me inside, and we've been together since."

"Doctor," Rose interrupted. "There's trouble in York. Apparently, Benton called it in himself."

"Benton… that's right; he's retired to York now."

"Yes," Rose said. "He is, but something strange has been happening up there the past few days. Harriet isn't sure they can keep people from panicking if it gets worse."

"Christmas again!" Jackie shrieked. "Why is it always Christmas? Wasn't the sky being poisoned last year enough? Honestly, it wasn't like this when I was growing up."

"That you know of," the Doctor couldn't help but say. Jackie tensed and glared at him, torn between horror and disbelief. "What's the trouble?"

"Something about strange people appearing and disappearing," Rose answered. "It started last week and is getting worse and worse."

"People appearing and disappearing," the Doctor said. He was trying not to grin too widely in front of Jackie. "Human-looking?"

"That's what she said," Rose agreed. "She was smiling a little herself. They're calling them ghosts."

"Christmas ghosts," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Fantastic!"


	2. Marshmallows for Toasting

Christmas Ghost Stories

Chapter Two: Marshmallows for Toasting

By Lumendea

…

The TARDIS landed with a soft thump and Jackie's voice ringing in both the Doctor and Rose's ears. Rose doubted they'd be back for Jackie's party but had promised to do their best to be back for Christmas Dinner the next day. The Doctor's tension was all but gone. He was thrilled to escape the domestic sphere of Rose's life and was giddy at the thought of an adventure. It almost made her feel guilty, but it had been Sarah Jane who dragged him into the kitchen, not her.

"We're in the old town," the Doctor said. He turned the scanner, and Rose saw older buildings and cobblestones streets under a thin dusting of snow. "Where is UNIT?"

"Uh, they've got stations around the old town," Rose said. "Near landmarks. Not sure which is closest."

"Then let's go and find them."

The Doctor took Rose's hand, and they headed for the door. Rose had left her coat on for the quick jump and was grateful as a cold blast of air hit her. Still grinning, the Doctor wasn't affected at all. They stepped outside, and Rose looked around eagerly. They were in a small alley surrounded by brick buildings. Next to them were the words 'Bad Wolf' sprayed in yellow paint across the bricks. Rose took the words in silently before the Doctor gently tugged her forward.

They reached the main street, and Rose started to smile. Around them, the buildings were decorated with lights and an old yellowish stone wall rose above a nearby one-story shop. Rose had never been to York. She'd thought about visiting in the past, but there were always other places that appealed to her a bit more. But as she looked around, she found herself smiling. The nearby old city gate was decorated with strings of white lights. With the sun still up, they were off, but she imagined that it was rather majestic after dark. Small decorations were mounted on the old city wall that ran along nearby and surrounded the old section of the city that they were investigating.

"It's lovely," Rose said.

"This section of York is still surrounded by the city's medieval walls," the Doctor told her. "They still retain all their principal gateways."

"Harriet said that all the ghosts were within the walled area."

"The entire circuit is approximately 2.5 miles (4 km), and encloses an area of 263 acres," the Doctor replied. "So that's still a lot of area."

"Any thoughts?"

"Nothing so far," he said. "I need to see one of these ghosts. The walls seem to be important as all the ghosts are in this one area."

"Maybe the period they were built in?"

"The walls contain part of the walls of the Roman fortress. There's Norman and medieval work too and then 19th- and 20th-century renovations."

"Oh… so that doesn't narrow it down."

"Not really," the Doctor answered.

"Then let's find UNIT and see if they have any more information," Rose suggested. "Harriet only knew enough to beg me to take a look." She couldn't help but smile.

"You loved it," the Doctor said.

"Maybe," Rose replied. She gave him a tongue touched smile. "Although, ghosts at Christmas," Rose said with a shake of her head. "Haven't we done this before?"

"Yes, but York is over 200 miles away from the Rift," the Doctor said. "So I doubt it's connected to the Gelth."

"Still, just seems like the wrong holiday," Rose said.

"Hardly. Christmas used to be the traditional time to tell ghost stories," the Doctor said. "What do you think originally inspired old Charlie boy?"

"Really?"

"Think of the song It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," the Doctor told her. "There's a line about scary ghost stories. It's a tradition that ended up a bit forgotten, but it's not an accident that the most famous ghost story period is one that takes place at Christmas."

"So ghosts in York at Christmas shouldn't surprise me?" Rose raised an eyebrow doubtfully, enjoying the look of indignation on the Doctor's face.

"Officially no," he replied. "But probably not actual ghosts. Then again, Benton isn't one to imagine things, so I'm going to assume that there's something to this."

"I guess we'll see."

"You don't seem convinced," the Doctor said in a teasing voice.

"There's something behind it," Rose said firmly. "Something technological or alien. If there is anything to this at all."

"Or both," the Doctor agreed. "But if what they're saying about the increase in the ghost activity is true then we need to be worried about how stable that system is."

"You think there's something to this?" Rose asked.

"How often is it nothing?" the Doctor countered.

"Touché."

Walking down the street, Rose stayed close to the Doctor. Lots of people were moving through the streets, music was playing, and laughter and voices were echoing off the cobblestones. Overhead, stars glittered in a clear night sky. The Doctor was grinning, much happier now that they were on the hunt for something. She almost laughed as his glee. Still, ghosts, it was hard to wrap her head around. If it wasn't the Gelth then what could it be?

They turned a corner to move away from the shopping crowd and check a side street. Rose slipped her left hand into her bag, ready to pull out her phone and just ask where the UNIT stations were. Then a man appeared right in front of them. He didn't come around a corner; he was just suddenly there.

The man was dressed in old style clothing, maybe the Tudor period, but Rose wasn't sure. He was looking right at them, and his body seemed corporal, but there was a strange softness to the light around him. It was like a halo of some kind. His image flickered, and Rose gasped softly. The Doctor pulled his hand away from her and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. The man's mouth moved, but he was flickering too much, and no sound came out. Then he vanished as the sonic screwdriver whirled. They were alone in the street again.

"That was… a ghost," Rose said finally. "That's surprising. Wasn't expecting… that. Did you get anything?"

"No." The Doctor looked down at the sonic screwdriver with a frown. "It was like there was nothing to latch onto."

"Ghosts aren't actually real right?" Rose asked, suddenly unsure.

"Maybe." The Doctor smiled again. "I don't know everything." He looked around at the buildings. "It is possible for mental impressions to get recorded on stone and then playback, but that didn't seem like that sort of event."

"Are you serious?" Rose asked.

"Yes," the Doctor answered. "Some of the ghost stories are real; they just aren't actual spirits. It's just a recording playing."

"And this wasn't?"

"No, it wasn't." The Doctor shook the sonic screwdriver. "There's something to this. Come on, let's find UNIT and see what they have to say. Let's head for King's Square."

"I could just call Kate," Rose suggested.

"Nah," he said dismissively. "Hopefully we'll see another ghost."

Chuckling, Rose tightened her grip on the Doctor's hand, and they walked down the street. Around them, shoppers were still at it, but the crowd was thinning a bit as people headed for home. It wasn't too cold, but the tip of Rose's nose was feeling the chill.

It didn't take them long to find UNIT. The Doctor had predicted their location with shocking accuracy. A UNIT mobile command unit was parked in the corner of the square. It stood out amongst the Christmas decorations, and the citizens were giving it a wide berth. Rose wondered how far the rumors of the ghosts had spread. Far enough that the Prime Minister was worried about a panic starting at the very least. Down the roads, she could still see the old town walls. They were in a good location to rush to wherever the next sighting was.

The poor soldier standing guard jumped a little when they walked up. His mouth started to open to send them away. Rose could see the moment as they came up that he recognized them. Or at least recognized her and guessed who the Doctor was.

"Hello there," the Doctor greeted the soldier. "I'm the Doctor, and this is Rose Tyler."

The soldier tensed, his hand coming up to salute while the Doctor huffed. "None of that. Who's in charge?"

"Kate Stewart and Captain Erisa Magambo," the man replied. He hurriedly stepped aside and opened the door. "Please, go inside. They're waiting for you."

"Thank you," Rose said to the poor shocked man.

He nodded, still staring at them in awe. Rose found it very strange to be included in the awe, but the Doctor just seemed amused. He was loving this. Shaking her head fondly, Rose followed him inside the cramped mobile unit. Computers and screens filled one wall with techs hard at work. There was a small walkway behind them leading towards a door that contained the commander's office. Kate was leaning over one of the computers and looked up as they entered.

"Hello, Kate," Rose greeted. "How is the family?"

"Gordon's in university which astounds me," Kate answered. "He's at home with his grandfather minding the baby."

"No Alistair then?" The Doctor asked.

"No," Kate answered. She rolled her eyes a little even though her smile was fond. "He told me yesterday to give you my regards when you inevitably showed up."

"In our defense," Rose said. "We were asked in."

"We'll sort it out as quickly as we can," the Doctor promised. He glanced around. "Not a lot of folks."

"We have patrols out in the city," Kate said. "Captain Magambo is checking a sighting that came in only twenty minutes ago."

Kate picked up a file from on top of the nearest terminal and handed it to Rose. "We don't have a lot of data yet. Not that we've collected, but videos keep popping up. Thankfully, so far most are believing that it is a prank or a play of some sort by locals." Kate smiled a little, a hint of amusement shining through her stoic expression. "Apparently ghost stories used to be a Christmas tradition."

"So I've heard," Rose said dryly.

"A Christmas Carol," the Doctor said. He looked genuinely shocked. "Honestly, one of the greatest novels of English Literature!"

"He's a Charles Dickens fan," Rose said. She smiled a little. "Met him not that long ago. He was nice."

Kate opened her mouth to say something only to close it and shake her head. Taking the folder, Rose flipped it open with a slight frown. The images inside were fuzzy, but the statement next to each statement gave a detailed description of the so-called ghosts.

"This looks fuzzy," Rose said, holding up the image. "You said there's video."

Kate nodded, and one of the techs started playing a video. Instead of a distinct person, there was a whitish blur. The only sound was static. It was a very classic ghost video, but it didn't fit with what Rose had just seen.

Noise at the front door made everyone look up, but then the guard stepped to the side and Benton came into view. He beamed at her and the Doctor, looking truly happy to see them. Benton was a touch heavier than he'd been when Rose had last seen him. There were faint stress lines around his eyes, but they were still a big improvement over when he'd been at UNIT. In the sea of uniforms, he was wearing a colourful Christmas sweater and looked very pleased about it. A few of the soldiers were glancing at him from time to time. It almost made her laugh.

Stepping forward, Rose hugged Benton who grinned and hugged her right back. "What happened to retirement?" Rose asked.

"I tried," Benton said. "I want the record to show that I tried, but this is the sort of thing that gets a man's attention." As Rose let go of him, he turned his attention to the Doctor and extended his hand. "Good to see you, Doctor."

"Benton." They shook hands as the other UNIT personnel shifted a bit nervously in the background. The mobile unit was officially a bit too small now. "Good to see you too."

"Thank you for coming," Benton said. "I didn't think too much of it at first, but once I reported it and UNIT started tracking the activity… well, you better come and see for yourself."

"What did you see, John?" The Doctor asked.

"I thought it was just a man in a costume. He looked solid and real," Benton explained. "But then he said that he was trapped and vanished. Not the strangest thing I've ever seen but unsettling, so I reported it in. I wasn't the first report, but my report was enough to get UNIT to take a look. That was last week."

"So what is going on?" the Doctor asked.

"Strange people in old clothing appear out of thin air and vanish moments later," Benton said. He gestured to a nearby computer. "UNIT has been plotting them out."

The technician hit a few buttons, and a map of York came up on screen with small dots scattered around it. Yet, all the dots were in the walled area or near Clifford Castle. There were many dots in busy places, but that might have just been the 'ghosts' being noticed rather than a real pattern.

"Any tracking of the time period?" the Doctor asked.

"Not with any success," Benton admitted. "Most people can't identify period clothing with any accuracy. And the only more modern report that came in was due to the 'ghost' being in someone's house."

"So there might be ghosts in more modern clothing, but they're not noticed," the Doctor said. "That is interesting."

"Well the frequency of the sightings has sharply increased over the last few days," Benton said. Another visual came up, this time with a sharply rising line of sightings. "Old York has a reputation for hauntings, they run ghost tours, but this seems to be something else. Some of the ghosts that locals have reported from time to time have been reported a lot in the last few days."

"I'd ask if it was hysteria, but we saw one on the way here," the Doctor said. Leaning forward, he studied the map. "If there's a pattern, we'll find it, but the real question is why now? If there is something strange going on why is it active now?"

"We're waiting for construction records," Kate answered. "Our thought is something was disturbed."

The Doctor kept studying the dots as Benton headed for the back and the tea table. Rose followed him, glancing back at the Doctor as Kate answered his questions about the timing of the sightings. So far, something alien under York being disturbed sounded like the most likely idea, but what would cause these ghosts? It didn't seem like anything was off with time.

"How is life on the TARDIS treating you?" Benton handed Rose the paper cup of tea. "Holding up alright?"

"I love it," Rose said. She allowed herself to smile widely. "We look after each other. We're a good team."

"That's not surprising," Benton said. "Alistair called me after his little trip with you."

"Oh, how did that go?"

"I've refused to see him in person," Benton grumbled. "Honestly, he finds a way to get younger. I'm afraid that if I see him with dark hair that I'll start saluting like I was a sergeant all over again."

"It was odd," Rose agreed. "And I didn't know him at that age. At least he was calm about it. That was a weird day."

"I'm just glad that everyone was alright."

"It worked out. But how about you? Retiring to York, that seemed a bit odd."

"I like this city. Nice people, a lovely wall to walk on for exercise. My niece and her son live in town, so I have family in the area." Benton patted his belly with a smile. "I'm finally learning how to cook more than the basics. And I've taken up baking. It's brilliant."

"Glad to hear it. I didn't realize that you had a niece," Rose admitted.

"I tried to keep my family out of this," Benton said. "Unlike Alistair I was successful. Janice is a good girl. Her parents, my sister and her husband, passed when she was nineteen in a car crash. I looked after her through college. She's a nurse."

"Has she seen any of the ghosts?" Rose asked.

"Uh no." Benton paused and frowned a bit. "That does seem odd. A hospital and yet no ghosts."

"They aren't ghosts," the Doctor said. He was grinning wildly and grabbed Rose's free hand. "Good to see you, John, but Jeopardy Friendly and I need to have a look around."

Benton just smiled and nodded. "Have fun."


	3. And Caroling Out in the Snow

Christmas Ghost Stories

Chapter Three: And Caroling Out in the Snow

By Lumendea

AN: This episode is loosely based on the Sarah Jane Adventure The Eternity Trap. It's been a long time since I pulled on one of those for inspiration, but I was a bit stuck on a Christmas episode theme. I'm glad that everyone seems to be enjoying it thus far.

…

The lights were coming on for the evening as the sun dropped below the horizon. Shivering a little, Rose flexed her fingers inside her gloves as she looked around. The Doctor was fine. The cold never seemed to bother him, not even on Women's Wept while Rose was starting to wish that she'd grabbed a heavier coat. Apparently, York was far enough north that it felt much colder here in the evening. Then again, they'd just come from Ancient Rome, so her body wasn't adjusted.

Up ahead, a section of the town wall was draped in long white lights, creating glowing lines down the stone. It was one of the old gates. A few people were stopping to take photos, and a group of carolers was singing to the side. The Doctor didn't really seem to notice any of the Christmas cheer. He was looking around, scanning all the dark corners, and leading Rose into quiet side streets. Pulling out the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor turned around slowly and frowned deeply.

"Nothing?" Rose asked.

"Not exactly," the Doctor answered. "There is something." He nodded towards the York wall. "Resonance that isn't exactly right, but what it means I'm not sure." Shaking his head, he scanned his eyes over the crowd. "And there's something off. My senses, my Time Lord senses, can feel it, but I can't pinpoint it."

"But it isn't a hole in time," Rose said. She was certain of that. "So what else could cause that feeling?"

"Good question. Not sure yet." He looked at her. "Anything standing out?"

Rose was pleased with the question but disappointed that she had nothing. "No, I don't know York well enough to see something out of place. The atmosphere is right for Christmas." Rose carefully lowered her mental shields. "I don't feel anything."

"Keep your shields up," the Doctor said firmly. "And no, that's not a surprise. It isn't telepathic; it's my senses. Something just off my radar."

"Well, there is the video," Rose said. "If they really were filming a ghost like the one we saw then why wouldn't it show up correctly?"

"Good question," the Doctor said. He nodded a little but didn't provide an answer.

They headed down another side street that was full of rubbish bins. Rose had to pull out her torch when they reached an area where the lights had burned out. Still nothing. Yet, the Doctor's energy was still high. He was very happy to be away from the festivities.

"I'm sorry if London made you uncomfortable," Rose said. "I didn't plan on Sarah Jane pulling you into everything."

"I should have known she would," the Doctor said. He chuckled warmly. "That's not your fault. It just… it…"

"Gets to be a bit much," Rose offered.

He nodded and squeezed her hand in agreement. "I know they mean well. I'm a bit more introverted this time around."

"We won't stay too long," Rose promised. "New Years loses a lot of its thrill when you live in a TARDIS." They reached the end of the alley and stepped back into bright, colourful lights. Sighing, Rose put her torch away into her shoulder bag. "It would be nice if we had some clue as to what triggers them appearing."

Rose's mobile beeped. She pulled it out, hoping for an alert from UNIT with a location to go. "Apparently Luke's been driving Haresh round the bend all afternoon," Rose said. She couldn't help but smile. When the Doctor frowned in confusion, Rose chuckled. "Rani's dad. He's the Head Teacher at their school. He taught Luke to play chess and has lost six games. Ian's playing him now and Rani thinks it's funny." Her mobile beeped again. "And she wants to know what is going on in York?"

Screams erupted from down the street. They took off running hand in hand towards the noise. The shoppers were starting to flee while others took out their phones and looked around. Rose snorted. It was Christmas Eve; didn't they want to get back home to their families. Her right hand kept a tight grip on her mobile, and Rose looked around for any sign of the latest ghost. As they got closer to where she thought the scream had come from, everything seemed to have already calmed down. The crowd had thinned, but the lack of a clear threat meant that plenty of people had already resumed shopping.

However, a woman was standing in the street and looking through the door of a shop. She was wearing a nametag and was very pale. Rose tugged the Doctor in her direction, and he caught on quickly.

"Are you alright?" the Doctor asked her.

"Uh yes, but this…" She gestured at the door. "It just appeared."

Nodding, the Doctor let go of Rose's hand and entered the shop. Rose gave the woman a soft smile and then followed. They stepped into the bookshop and Rose sucked in a surprised breath. Dozens of books had been pulled off the shelves and thrown about the room. The Doctor moved the sonic screwdriver which hummed softly.

"I'm getting something, a strange energy signal." He looked around thoughtfully. "The energy is building.'

"That's… I'm not sure what to think about that."

Beside Rose, a small rocking horse decoration began to rock. She jumped back from it as the vigorous rocking continued. Her skin crawled, and Rose smelled a faint hint of ozone in the air.

"I didn't touch it," Rose said.

"No, I didn't think you did," the Doctor replied. He was grinning now. "Something is here."

"You have to leave." They both turned to find a young woman in old-fashioned clothing standing behind them. She was a pretty dark-skinned woman dressed simply, not allowing Rose to determine her home era. She pointed out into the street. "You need to run," she said. "Please."

"I'm very good at running," the Doctor said. "But I don't run for any reason. Who are you? What's going on?"

"He's getting too strong," the girl said. "We can't stop him anymore. He'll take everyone; he'll take you too."

"Who's he?" Rose asked gently. "We can help."

"No one can help. Others have tried," the young woman said. She shook her head sadly. "They were taken. They're with us now. But he's ready to take the whole city. You have to warn them. We saw you; they listen to you."

"You can watch us," the Doctor said thoughtfully. "But you can only manifest when the energy level builds."

"You need to run," the young woman said. "Warn the others."

Then she vanished. The smell of ozone faded quickly, and the hairs of Rose's arms stopped standing on end. She reached down and picked up the first book. It was a history of York and was open to the page with a map of the old walls. Holding it up, she showed the Doctor.

"I think our ghosts know a lot about what is going on."

"They can see us, but can't show themselves most of the time," the Doctor said. "She was trying to warn us, warn the rest of the people."

"Maybe they figure if they scare people they'll leave," Rose said.

"Excuse me," a small voice called from outside. The shopkeeper poked her head in nervously. "Uh…"

"It's safe," the Doctor said. He bent down and picked up another book to check the open pages.

"What happened?" the shopkeeper asked. She stepped inside but eyed the books nervously. "Things just started flying off the shelf. Then there was this woman and…" She shuddered. "I'd heard some rumors, but-"

"These rumors," the Doctor said. "Anything in common?"

"Just stories that ghosts were appearing in the old city," the shopkeeper answered.

"What's your name?" Rose asked.

"Nancy." She looked at the books. "Please don't tell my boss."

"We won't," Rose promised. She closed the book on York and set it on the counter. "I don't think anything here wants to hurt you. Will you be okay?"

"My boyfriend is coming over to keep me company," she said. "I can close soon."

"Good," Rose said. "That's good."

She exchanged a look with the Doctor, and they helped pick up the other books. They did not provide as much useful information. Two more were open to maps of York, three weren't open at all, and the others were fiction. Rose tried to commit the book titles to memory just in case it was important. The shopkeeper was still shaky and kept glancing around nervously. A customer came in and frowned at her behavior, but quickly found the books they were after. The Doctor prowled around the shop with Rose on his heels, looking for any other clues without luck until the boyfriend arrived. Then he grabbed Rose's hand, and they were back out into the cold streets.

"So there's a him behind this," Rose said. "She kept saying he and I got the impression that he has at least some control over whatever is causing this."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "It has to be a machine of some kind. That would explain his control and the energy level."

"Any ideas what kind of machine?"

"Nothing I've encountered does this intentionally," the Doctor answered. He glanced down an alley.

"So it could be a broken machine. Something that isn't doing as it was intended. Or we could be dealing with a madman who likes capturing people and making them fear him." Rose frowned and tried to pull the pieces together. "Is it a time trap? I mean, is it pulling people into different slices of time and trapping them there?"

"How do you know what that is?" The Doctor looked at Rose in alarm.

"I'll tell you about my almost wedding someday," Rose said. She patted his arm and sighed. "The Trickster is a pain in the arse, but that's not important." Then Rose shook her head. "No, that can't be it anyway. She told us when talking about others being taken. They're with us, so the prisoners are together."

"Good catch," the Doctor said. "So people are being trapped, maybe intentionally or maybe just as a side effect by someone who is trapping them in a dimension where they don't age."

"So are they alive? Can they be freed?"

"Depends on what we're dealing with," the Doctor said. "And they can see out into the living world."

"Sounds… hard," Rose said. She shivered against both the cold and the idea. "They could have watched their families panic and die. If the energy never let them manifest, then they could never reassure them or say goodbye."

"Yes." The Doctor's voice was softer now, and he squeezed Rose's hand. "So why are so many manifesting now. Something must have changed."

Rose didn't like the sound of that. She didn't like any of this, but the Doctor was right. If people had been captured and vanishing for years, then something had changed. He squeezed her hand, and they started walking again.

"Any ideas?" The Doctor asked.

"We should have UNIT look into recent building permits," Rose answered. Pulling out her phone, she started to text Kate. "Maybe someone disturbed something."

"They would have noticed."

"Maybe not," Rose said. She shrugged a little and sighed. "If they didn't completely break through to find the machine or…" Shaking her head, Rose grit her teeth. "I don't know. Any ideas what could cause this?"

It was the Doctor's turn to sigh. Frustration radiated off of him, and he pulled out the sonic screwdriver again. A frown that was almost a pout covered his face.

"This should be easy," the Doctor said. "A machine is the cause, and yet we can't find it!"

"Would it be draining energy?" Rose asked.

"No, hundreds of years ago, there wouldn't have been electricity," the Doctor answered. He stopped walked and turned around slowly, scanning the street. "So it has to be powered some other way."

"Ambient energy?" Rose asked. "Solar power?"

"Or something more dangerous," the Doctor said. "These people are being pulled out of the proper world."

"Another dimension?"

"Something like that," the Doctor agreed. "So it doesn't need a power source and could be underground if that's the case."

"Why is it here?" Rose asked. "Travel maybe? An alien trying to get home."

A frustrated sigh escaped the Doctor. Rose stepped closer to him, hugging his arm and leaning against his shoulder. He relaxed a little against her, and Rose smiled. Around them, the shoppers were clearing out for the night. Shops were beginning to close for Christmas Eve. She knew that in London, her mum's party would be going full swing. Hopefully with the whole road invited no one would call the police about the noise.

"There's too much area to search," the Doctor said. "That woman was Tudor era by the look of her. But this old section of town is full of old buildings."

"Do you think it has anything to do with the holiday?" Rose asked. "Is Christmas important or is it coincidence?"

"Fair question, not sure. It could be connected to the emotional stress around Christmas, but it isn't likely."

Rose's phone chimed. It was a message from Kate that they'd keep working on recent changes to the area. Hopefully, they'd find something because so far Rose was feeling like that they were running around blind.

"Why would this person take people?" Rose asked. "Are they a potential energy source? Or a potential way to calculate something?"

The Doctor looked down at her thoughtfully. He was about to answer when the air in front of them shimmered briefly. That was the only warning before a man appeared. He was a caviler. Rose recognized the style of clothing from paintings. Judging from the rich blue color of the fabric and the cut, he was or had been a wealthy man. He held a sword in his hands and was looking around forlornly.

"Hello there," the Doctor greeted.

The man turned to look at them, seemingly surprised by the greeting. His expression quickly fell back to disinterest, and he didn't answer. The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver again and pointed it at the man. Taking a step back, the Caviler frowned. Rose watched his hand touch the wall. It didn't pass through it. He seemed to feel it, to know it was there.

"What are you getting?" Rose asked.

"Nothing," the Doctor answered. "It's like he isn't there." Lowering the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor put it back in his coat. "We just want to talk."

"Run," the man said. "Just run."

"What has changed?" The Doctor took a step towards him. "Something has changed. There's a reason there's more of you now."

"Stop asking questions. He doesn't like questions," the man said urgently. "Tell your people to leave. Or they won't get away at all."

Then he was gone. Rose pulled out her phone and dialed the number for Kate. She and the Doctor exchanged frustrated looks at it rang. Around them, the streets were fairly normal. They weren't finding anything. The phone just kept ringing and worry bubbled up in Rose's chest. She tried again. Still no answer. The ghost's warning replayed in her head.

"Doctor, I think we should go back the mobile unit," Rose said.

The Doctor nodded, and they headed off. The streets were almost clear of people now. Shops were closing, and the hum of voices had died down. Rose could still hear carols playing and could hear cars a few streets over, but a strange hush had fallen over this section of Old York.

When they got back to the mobile unit, there were a few people in the square, but the mobile unit itself was unguarded and empty.


	4. There'll be Scary Ghost Stories

Christmas Ghost Stories

Chapter Four: There'll be Scary Ghost Stories

By Lumendea

…

Rose had never been in the mobile unit when it was empty. It seemed too large now with no people fighting to get past each other. Cups of tea and coffee were still placed around the computers. She reached out to check the nearest one. It was still very warm. The Doctor stepped past her and picked up a file folder.

"Doctor, how could it pull all of them in all at once?" Rose asked. "That's a huge jump from a few people here and there to twenty all at once."

"It is," the Doctor agreed. He flipped through the folder, reading it at rapid speed. "But we've learned a few things: one there is someone controlling this, two they focus on those who notice the problem, and three the effect is linked to the walls of York."

"Four those taken are aware of the normal world," Rose added. "And five, something about us seems to keep him from grabbing us."

The Doctor paused and looked at her. Then a massive grin lit up his face. "Exactly! You're right. We pose the greatest danger and yet he took UNIT."

"We probably pose the greatest danger," Rose corrected. "Maybe Kate and her people found something." She scanned the computers, but they were all still just static. "Six whatever it is seems to affect delicate electrical equipment."

"You're right," the Doctor said. He moved to the computers himself and began trying to use them. "It's almost like an electromagnetic pulse went off in here."

"It wasn't like that when the ghosts appeared."

"Actually there was a small effect," the Doctor said. He didn't look at Rose as he worked. "But it was minor. If you're right and this was caused by him pulling UNIT into his influence, then the effect likely grows with the amount of matter affected."

"You don't think he's turning them into energy?" Rose asked.

"Possible…" the Doctor frowned. "They could be surviving by recording themselves on the walls of York…" Then he shook his head. "No, I don't think so. They seem too strong and capable of responding to stimulus to just be a recording."

Rose shivered at the rapid-fire explanation. She hadn't known anything like that was even possible. It was creepy to think that maybe some ghosts that people saw were real in a way, even if it was just a recording. Suddenly, she was very grateful that Mickey hadn't been sent north for this.

"We need to get Kate back," Rose said. "All of them, but especially Kate. I'm not telling Alistair that we lost his daughter."

"Ah, no, that would be bad," the Doctor agreed. They shared a nervous look. At any other time, Rose might have laughed, but the idea of having to tell Alistair was more than a little terrifying. "We have the clues, but nothing here is familiar."

Rose moved down the worktable, checking the different notebooks that were laid out. There were a few shorthand notes, but none of them gave Rose much information. Sighing, she put her hands on her hips and looked around for any clues. Nothing was disturbed. There were no signs of panic and struggle so it must have happened fast.

"Kate," she called. "If you can hear me please try to communicate. Or if you can't, ask another one to try."

"Let me adjust the computers," the Doctor ordered. He knelt down and vanished under the worktable. "If they are connected to an electrical distortion then maybe changing the speakers will help."

A low static sound started to come over the small speakers. Rose grimaced at the sound. It was low and creepy. It took her back to some of the ghost stories that Mickey used to tell the younger kids on the estate to scare them. She took a step back, ignoring the odd little smile the Doctor sent her way as he stood. Then he reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"I won't let the ghosts take you," he promised.

"It's not the ghosts I'm worried about," Rose said. "It's the master."

The lights suddenly dimmed in the mobile unit. Stepping closer to the Doctor, Rose focused on listening to the low electrical hum. A face appeared on one of the screens. It looked like an old man wearing an old-fashioned leather cap. Deep lines surrounded the dark eyes that stared out as if he could recognize them. It was too dark around him for them to see anything else.

The man said nothing. Then the image was gone, and the static returned.

"UNIT put up cameras," the Doctor said. The lights were brightening again. "Which camera was that?" He leaned forward and pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

"Are you sure that was a camera?" Rose asked. "That felt… different. Like he was looking for us."

"I know."

"Right." Rose shivered. "That's not freaky at all. Any idea why he isn't just taking us?"

"My working theory is that he's working with dimensional shifts," the Doctor said. "And if that's the case then Artron energy would interfere."

"TARDIS for the win then," Rose said.

It took a few minutes, but soon they had one of the computers working normally again. Rose was still a bit unsure of what exactly was wrong with them which just made her even more nervous. If this had been happening to computers across town, it would have been big news. The fact that their enemy could signal in on one small area only reinforced his control. Rose stood behind the Doctor as he started reviewing the latest files.

"Here's UNIT's map," he said.

A large map of the area within the walls popped up. Small dots marked the ghosts which were spread out throughout the area. There were more sightings along busy streets, but that only meant that someone had seen them.

"Do you think the ghosts can control it?" Rose asked. "That woman seemed to want to talk to us like she'd come through on purpose, but that man didn't."

"Good question," the Doctor said. She could hear his smile. "Probably not, given how they talk about their captor. This may be a natural fluctuation. A side effect of whatever new thing their captor is doing. The woman may have just taken advantage of an opportunity to communicate."

"It would be nice if they communicated something useful," Rose muttered. Realizing how negative she was being, Rose inhaled and exhaled to calm down. "So, anything other than the map?"

"They were checking construction records," the Doctor said. Documents and photos flashed across the screen as the Doctor took them in far faster than Rose ever could. "Nothing jumps out, but there must be something."

Holding back her frustration, Rose went over to the small serving table. The electric kettle was still going, and there was hot water. She decided to make herself useful and quickly made up two cups of tea, one for herself and one for the Doctor. She ignored the cup of coffee was sitting only a few feet away.

"This is weird," she said. "Not as bad as the day that aliens took everyone, but weird."

"I almost forget you've seen something like this before," the Doctor said.

"Do you think it's the same tech?" Rose asked. She put the cup of tea down in front of the Doctor.

"Similar, but not the same. This has a much more limited range, and I don't think that this was the purpose of it."

He kept saying that, but Rose wasn't sure what he really meant. "You're being vague again."

"Sorry," he grumbled. Then he stood up. "This could be it."

Frowning, Rose leaned forward to look at the request. Someone had wanted to add a basement, but they'd found signs of an older building. The address didn't mean anything to her.

"Is it near the walls?" she asked.

"Yes. Come on, time for a walk."

It was colder outside now. Rose huddled into her coat and took the Doctor's hand. Somehow it seemed colder than it should have been. She wondered if it was a side effect of whatever was happening.

"It's colder than Women's Wept."

"Not, it's not," the Doctor said fondly. "But it is colder than it probably should be." Then he grinned manically. "Someone is trying something." His grin somehow widened, and he pulled Rose down the street. "We need to hurry and find him!"

"How do we do that?" Rose asked.

"Up on the wall," the Doctor said. "I'll have a better chance to see up there. And hopefully, pinpoint what is happening."

The Doctor led Rose out of the square at the brisk pace. They started running when they were clear of the light traffic. A few more snowflakes were starting to fall, and Rose just hoped that the weather didn't turn against them. The Doctor led Rose towards one of the walls of York, past small businesses and offices that filled the lower levels of old buildings.

They climbed the stairs up onto the top of the wall, Rose's heart pounding. It was too dark for her to be happy climbing on the walls. There were some small lights that gave the walls a yellowish glow, but she very aware of the signs saying not to get on the walls after sunset. It didn't stop the Doctor and stayed with him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, ghost stories," Rose said. She shook her head. "And I can't just dismiss it as alien. It's messing with me a little."

He chuckled warmly and squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know." Rose did know, but that didn't stop the worry. The Doctor couldn't always stop the bad, no matter how much he fought to hold it back. "Any idea what we're looking for."

"A few," the Doctor said.

"Want to share?"

"You won't be able to see anything." The Doctor's tone wasn't unkind. "Time Lord thing."

"Fair enough." Rose wasn't so sure about that, remembering how she'd felt near the Silver Lord's crack in India, but she said nothing.

They walked along the wall. It was wider than Rose had thought, allowing her and the Doctor to walk side by side. He stopped from time to time and glared down. Rose checked any signs that she could see, trying to get her bearings. A chill raced down her spine, and Rose shivered. The phrase 'someone walked over her grave' sprang to mind.

"Doctor!" A figure appeared in front of them. It was Kate, still dressed in her dark long coat. Her normally calm features were twisted with fear and her eyes were wild. "Doctor!"

"I hear you, Kate," the Doctor said.

"Doctor… we're trapped," Kate said. "There are others. So many. Going back such a long time. Tudor era at least, but some that think they came earlier too."

"You can communicate with each other." The Doctor looked relieved. "Good. That's good. Where is the master?"

"He's close," Kate said. "An old chamber beneath-" Suddenly she was gone, her voice fading out just like a ghost in a story.

"Do you think that he did that?" Rose asked.

The Doctor was looking down from the wall. "Old chamber," he repeated.

"Old ruins beneath York?" Rose offered. "Like London has, like Spellman used."

"That's odd for York," the Doctor said. "It hasn't had the same layers as London."

"Maybe he's able to hide it. Would the walls impact that?"

The Doctor looked down the street. "Construction…." Then he nodded. "I see it. Road construction near one of the walls must have altered the frequency of the stone walls. He's been using the roads and the walls to bounce his signals and adjust the frequency. It suddenly changes, but it makes him stronger."

Stopping in her tracks, Rose released the Doctor's hand and wrapped her arms around herself. It was icy. It was crawling up her spine and into her skull just like in India. She tried to speak, but the cold stole her breath away.

"Rose?"

"I feel… something," Rose said. "Very cold."

"Right." The Doctor gripped her arm and gently guided her away from the spot. The chill eased, and Rose inhaled so fast that she was dizzy for a moment. "I've got you," the Doctor promised. "How did you- never mind. Back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "If we want to reach him then we're going to need to go to him."

"Do you mean… shift into the dimension?" Rose asked.

"If we give him too much time then he'll figure out how to overcome our Artron energy and pull us in. I'd rather have the TARDIS to help."

Rose nodded, she couldn't argue with that. So far, they'd had no luck in finding this person. "Right, makes sense that he's sealed away whatever he is using. If he hadn't, people would have found it long ago."

The Doctor nodded, and they headed back down the wall. Something smelled off in the air, and Rose shivered, worried that they were too late. Was their mystery enemy about to pull them into his domain? Out of time with the rest of the expect when they got lucky. Rose remembered the Trickster putting her out of synch with the universe. She couldn't go back to that. She couldn't watch an empty city slowly shift and change.

They started running as soon as they hit the bottom of the stairs. Beneath their feet, the cobblestones were slick. In front of Rose, the air shimmered, and the smell of the air changed slightly. It was a metallic smell, one that normally wouldn't stand out in a city, but tonight with the silence of Christmas wrapping around them it was odd. Something brushed over the surface of her jacket. Nothing she could see, but it was there.

"He's trying to get us," the Doctor said. He didn't stop moving. "TARDIS."

With the usual unerring sense of where the TARDIS was, the Doctor guided Rose around a street corner. The sensation on her body wasn't going away, but it wasn't getting any worse. Rose told herself to ignore it. The urge to look behind her was strong, but Rose knew that she wouldn't be able to see anything for anyone. They kept moving.

They ducked into an alley, leaving behind the brightly colored lights and lampposts. Up ahead was the TARDIS, a soft light escaping from the window above the door. Next to Rose, the Doctor dug out his key. A strange static like sound rang in Rose's ears.

"Hurry!" Kate's voice called. "Hurry! He's-"

She was cut off again. They reached the TARDIS, and the Doctor shoved the key in. Had Rose's hands not been in gloves, she would have snapped to open the door faster. Around them, the colors of the walls were starting to blur. Pushing the door open, the Doctor dashed inside, and Rose followed. Turning, she slammed the doors shut. The cold retreated, and the static sound stopped.


	5. And tales of the glories

Christmas Ghost Stories

Chapter Five: And tales of the glories

By Lumendea

AN: My next book The Iron Trishula by J.M. Briggs is coming out on December 21! If you like my work please consider picking up one of my books.

…

Wrapped in the warmth and the comforting hum of the TARDIS, Rose gave herself a moment to recover her calm. It was silly to be so on edge. She and the Doctor had faced worse. Of course, it usually didn't seem to manifest the same way as spooky stories. Still, she shook herself and turned to the Doctor. He was at the scanner, a look of determination and concentration on his face.

"I didn't know what to look for earlier," he said. "The TARDIS is narrowing in on the frequency."

"Why now?" Rose asked. "Did a building project disturb him?"

"Sort of," the Doctor said. "Surge in electrical use near him gave his machine a boost."

"Okay…" Rose stepped closer and looked at the scanner. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Too many dimensions are overlapping," the Doctor answered. "There's always some natural dimensional overlap, but this person has been bending space and thus time with it. Something like that is noticeable."

The image this chaos made was beautiful — the ghostly layers of folded space-time curving around each other to form what looked like a rose in the middle of the city. It was turned on its side slightly, just enough to indicate the place where they all met was near the east section of the wall.

"It's impressive," the Doctor said. "Horrible and wrong." His frown deepened. "How have I never felt this before? Something of this size would take centuries to build. I've been near York in the past." He shook his head and glared at the screen. "Time War maybe made it worse. Maybe it really has nothing to do with the construction."

The uncertainty in his voice made Rose nervous. Gently, she wrapped her right arm around his left and leaned against him. He sighed a little the next moment but seemed to relax marginally. Under the circumstances, Rose would settle for that.

"So the plan is to shift ourselves," Rose said softly. "To go into that?"

"Yeah," the Doctor said. "Something this developed can't be stopped from the outside." Then he paused and looked her way with soft eyes. "Any chance I can convince you to wait in the TARDIS?"

"Nope," Rose answered, popping the 'p'.

"We need to stay together," the Doctor said. "Rose, I've never seen anything this complex. When it comes down…I don't even know what will happen to the people inside."

"Kate?"

"Recently taken people should return just fine, but the longer a person is in a time-space trap, the harder it is for them to return to normal space-time."

Rose swallowed but nodded her understanding. Then the Doctor turned and pulled a lever on the TARDIS controls. Around them, the TARDIS began to shake violently. Rose held tight to the Doctor and grabbed the console with her left hand. The Doctor pulled his arm away from hers only to wrap it around her shoulders and pull her closer. Sparks flew off the TARDIS console, and Rose's chest tightened with fear. Panic tried to grip her, but she held it at bay.

Then they stopped. Rose exhaled, and the Doctor released her. He turned the scanner and odd readings that Rose didn't understand danced across the screen. Then the Doctor nodded and patted the console.

"It worked."

"So what should we expect?" Rose asked. She eyed the doors with worry. "Given that we came in ourselves."

"Try to stay near the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "Other than that, I'm not sure what to expect."

That was not reassuring at all, but the Doctor didn't try to convince her to wait again. They stepped out into the street. It looked like the same street they'd left, but the colors were skewed. Everything was a bit dimmer and darker. In the already dark side street, Rose froze for a moment, hoping that her eyes would adjust. They didn't; it was just naturally dim and gloomy.

"The change in dimensions limits the ability of photons to pass into your eye properly," the Doctor explained. "You see the real world, but it is gloomy. Ghost stories indeed." He took her hand and squeezed it. "We can't risk staying long."

"Can't we just load everyone up and take them back into the proper dimension?" Rose asked.

"I wish it was that simple," the Doctor said.

He didn't explain as to why he couldn't, but the way he voiced his wish told Rose that something tragic was about to happen. She supposed that being out of regular space-time for centuries would have side effects, many negative side effects. Swallowing back the idea, she told herself to focus. They could still help Kate and the members of UNIT that had been pulled in.

They started moving. Rose's senses were thrown off by the world. It wasn't just the light that was muted; she realized as she listened to the sound of her own footfalls. The sound was too. The twilight around them was wrong. That icy cold feeling remained in her spine, and now her stomach was turning. It had to be worse for the Doctor, so she didn't mention it. There was enough to worry about already. They turned a corner and came to a sudden stop.

There was a crowd of ghosts, people dressed in clothing from all different eras gathered in the small street and looking at Rose and the Doctor. Rose sucked in a startled breath. There were dozens of them, at least sixty, all with sad but hopeful expressions.

"Not ghosts," the Doctor said. "Human beings shoved out of dimension with the rest of the natural world."

"Help us," a little girl dressed in a Tudor era gown said.

"Release us," a man in a World War I uniform begged. "This is Purgatory!"

"I'm the Doctor, and I'm going to help," the Doctor said. "What happened? Do you know?"

"No," one man in a 1940s suit said. "We lived in York and then were pulled into his realm. We don't know why us while others live their whole lives peacefully."

"Are you all in the same dimension?" the Doctor asked.

"No," another man answered. This one was dressed in chain mail and looked exhausted. "There are many… dimensions. Some of us in one, some in others. We can see each other sometimes, communicate some, but it is limited."

"My children are in another," the Cavalier said. He was the same one they'd seen on the street earlier. "I angered him in my first days here. He pulled my children into another layer of his trap!"

"How did you anger him?" the Doctor asked.

"I found a way into his private domain." The others drew away from the man, looking around nervously. "I tried to stop him."

"How?"

"He possesses some kind of machine not like the sort that the world has developed, but something strange and different. I tried to destroy it. I had no luck. I struck a blow, but it only sparked, and we were not released." The Cavalier swallowed and lowered his gaze. "A monster came forth."

"A monster?" The Doctor blinked in surprise. "What sort of monster? Where was this man's machine?"

"I can show you the way, but be warned that he took control of the fierce beast."

"A monster," Rose repeated. "Uh, folding space-time let something through."

"Created a temporary tunnel effect most likely," the Doctor agreed. "But that complicates things. If he gets desperate, he might try to bring more aliens through."

Rose held back a grumble of frustration and took a deep breath. Her eyes scanned the people present. They all looked so worn down. Not hopeless, not now, but tired out. How many of them would they be able to save? What would happen then? She was almost afraid to think about it, but wouldn't turn away from the thought.

"I'll do everything I can to help you," the Doctor announced. "But you need to know that leaving the dimensions might have physical consequences."

"You mean we'll die," the World War I man said. He shivered a little, but then straightened up. "We can't eat, we can't sleep, we just wander amongst those who are still truly living. This is torment."

"It's okay if we die," the little Tudor girl said. "At least then it'll be over." Pain flashed over the Doctor's face at her words, but the little girl was resolute. "My family is long gone. I cannot grow."

"I'll try to save you," the Doctor said.

"Stop him, and you will save us," the Cavalier said.

Suddenly a roar echoed down the street. All of the 'ghosts' froze in fear, and then they scattered, running in all different directions, even the World War I soldier. Only the Cavalier turned towards the noise. Rose dropped her right hand and summoned her sword, bringing it up in front of her.

"Weapons do little good," the Cavalier insisted. "We'd be wisest to run."

Rose wanted to see the thing first, but the Doctor pulled her away. They rushed down another street, hearing the roar behind them. Another ghost called for them to follow. They started to do so. Footfalls, heavy footfalls, behind them made Rose look back. Something large was behind them, surrounded in shadow and hazy. She started to slip on the ice, releasing the Doctor's hand to catch herself. He stopped, but then she was up, and they were running again. The thing was getting closer, and Rose debated spinning around and trying her luck with her sword. She summoned it with a flick of her wrist.

Rose turned around and gasped. The Doctor was gone. She retraced her steps, softly cursing herself for getting separated. Then she heard loud breathing. It made her stop and press against the wall. Even the cold of the old bricks was muted. Still, something was moving towards her. Rose licked her lips nervously and adjusted her grip on her sword. The weight was familiar and reassuring.

But then the creature took another path. Rose grimaced and started to follow, fearing that it was after the Doctor. She went into the side street and then took a corner, trying to follow the footfalls that she could hear, but they were growing fainter. She turned again, running once more, and completely unsure of where she was. Dark walls loomed ahead of her, and Rose looked around in a daze.

She walked forward slowly, straining her ears for any sound that was familiar or gave her a lead on the monster. Rose silently cursed herself for losing the Doctor. That sort of thing just wasn't supposed to happen. Stupid ice. She noted the name of the street she was on and relaxed. Even if she didn't have a map yet, she could start building one. Remembering the maps of the area she'd seen, York had a lot of intersecting streets, but none of the layouts were too crazy.

That was when she spotted it — a doorway that didn't belong in the wall of an old nearby building. The opening was not from normal York. Rose was sure of that. The dark entrance sloped down from the street level. It was narrow. So narrow that it probably didn't even disturb much of the building it was a part of. She couldn't hear anything from it but moved towards the opening. It was tucked away between the wall and the buildings and a bit difficult to even notice. Rose was sure that this was what the Cavalier had been referring to. Part of her knew she should turn back, but she didn't.

The entrance was narrow at first, and Rose had to squeeze through. She hoped that the monster couldn't enter here. That would be convenient. It widened out quickly, and Rose was sure that they'd crossed the threshold of street level. The air tasted stale, and she was sure that she was under the streets of York now.

How was this place hidden? Was it in a different dimension as well, completely cut off from the city around it? Rose knew that it had to be something like that, but it was hard to wrap her head around. There were no lights, and Rose had to pull out her small torch before she dared go any farther. The light was dimmer than usual, but it was enough to let Rose move forward. There were no lights in the tunnel, no markings on the wall. It was just stone, and now it was curving. Rose wasn't sure where she was in relation to the walls now.

Then she found a door at the end of the tunnel. It was old and made of wood with a heavy looking handle on it. There didn't seem to a be a lock. Rose hesitated once again but pushed the door open. After another beat of uncertainty, she peered inside.

It was a small stone-lined room, dank and dim. Candles were lined up and burning along one wall on a mounted wooden shelf. They flickered strangely, and Rose wondered if some special bubble of time kept them burning forever. There was a workbench and tools from several different centuries scattered across it. Beyond all that on a heavy wooden desk was a sprawling mass of wires, tubes, and flickering lights. It was a mess. Rose could hear gears clicking together and stepped closer, into the room.

Then something moved in the corner. Rose summoned her sword and brought it up, ready to defend herself. A small old man dressed in the robes of a monk stepped out. His pale face was gaunt, white wisps of hair were visible beneath his hood, and his grey eyes bulged out a bit.

"Welcome," the man said. His voice was weak and low. "It has been a long time since any dared enter here."

"I was curious."

"You will never leave this place. You will be with me for eternity."

"Probably not," Rose answered. She curled her nose up a little and shook her head. "I'm a wanderer by nature."

"Bwahahahaha! You crossed my threshold. In a single step, you left choice behind. Now you are in my world."

"Your world?" Rose repeated. Her eyes jumped to the strange machine. "I don't really think that I am. Pretty sure we're still in York, and I'm not a ghost."

"A ghost? Is that what you think I am? Child, there's no such thing as ghosts."

"Then what are you?" Rose pressed.

Suddenly another man rushed into the room, placing himself between Rose and the machine. It was the same man dressed in the old cavalier outfit and wielding a sword. The same man who had found this place before.

"You will not have her."

"Have you not yet faded into the ether?" the strange man asked with a cruel smile.

"Not while your shadow still stains my city! Your time of reckoning draws near, Darkening!"

"We exist on different levels," Darkening answered. He was completely unconcerned. "You still cannot harm me, Marchwood."

"And your magic cannot hurt me again," Marchwood said.

A strange sort of laugh escaped Darkening. Rose lunged forward, summoning her sword and eying the machine. The memory of Marchwood's words about attacking the machine and causing the monster to appear made her stop. Her sword was in her hand, it was right there, but Rose didn't recognize any part of the machine. Hesitation weighed on her and then Darkening began to approach.

"Run!" Marchwood shouted.

Deciding in an instant that retreat was the better option, Rose released her sword and spun on her heel. She darted into the narrow tunnel, ignoring the tight press of the stone around her. The air was stale, and she wasn't sure how much she was even breathing. How did the different layers even function in that regard? Did all of the trapped people still breathe? Did they need to eat? Did they create waste? Were they still fully living humans just tucked away from everyone else? The roar of the monster behind her put an end to those thoughts, and Rose focused on getting away.


	6. Of Christmases Long Long Ago

Christmas Ghost Stories

Chapter Six: Of Christmases Long Long Ago

By Lumendea

AN: My latest book The Iron Trishula by J.M. Briggs is now out! I always get a rush whenever I send one of my babies out into the world. If you enjoy my work, please consider picking up a copy of one of my books. You can pick up the first one for only .99 cents.

…

Nothing got in her way. Rose stumbled out into the icy air of nighttime York and took a deep greedy gasp. There was a slight tremble in her hands, and the cold in her spine was staying stubbornly in place. She tried to reassure herself that she wasn't really scared, that it was just this place or rather the twisting space-time that was messing with her.

She looked around quickly. She didn't see the Caviler or rather Marchbanks which made her frown. Clearly, he'd been a thorn in Darkening side for his captor to bother with knowing his name. There was a low growl echoing down the streets, and Rose swallowed.

"Stay calm," Rose told herself. "Stay calm. Rule one: don't panic." She summoned her sword.

Nothing came rushing out at her, and Rose looked back at the opening. Her stomach turned, and she decided that it was a better idea to find the Doctor then try to go in herself. Taking another step away, she looked around for any landmark she could use to find it again. There wasn't much, but she noted down the street name and a few little details of the nearby buildings.

"Where's a Bad Wolf poster when I need one," she grumbled.

Then she headed off, looking down all the streets for the Doctor and cursing herself once again for getting separated in the first place.

….

The Doctor was angry. His senses were raw as the different layers of shredding time rubbed against his extra senses. They were frayed and he was aware of the people within each layer would be suffering as a result. What kind of being did something like this? He hoped that it had at least started as an accident and then the power had gone to their heads. Otherwise, he doubted he'd be able to keep his temper in check.

And he'd lost track of Rose! She was bothered by the space-time distortions! He wasn't sure how, but she was running around in a darker version of the real world with her sense being toyed with and without him. At least that damned monster seemed to have moved off. The Doctor walked quickly down the side streets, glancing down each one and trying to find Rose. He didn't dare shout for her, despite the temptation. Then he stopped as a blur of motion down one street caught his eye. He hurried after it and spun around the corner. There was nothing. Then Rose stepped out of the shadows and rushed for him.

"Rose?" The Doctor caught her arms, grinning in relief, but then he frowned. "What's wrong? You okay?"

"This place," Rose managed. "I don't know. I'm so cold, and it's just…" She shook her head and tried to shake it off. "I'll be okay."

"Rose… you shouldn't-"

"This isn't the time," Rose said. "Not here. It'll be okay. Probably just a side effect of my wonderful life history. I found the man behind the curtain of this horror show."

"You did?"

"He's got this machine down in a tunnel," Rose said. "Very old, but way too complicated for Earth. I don't think the entrance is visible in normal York."

"Old tunnels," the Doctor said. "And probably some kind of cloaking system or it only exists in this section of space-time."

"Yeah, it was an old area," Rose said. She shook her head and tried to gather her thoughts. "Doctor, he was dressed like a monk. A really old-fashioned monk. The room was stone." She paused and licked her lower lip, trying to remember the details. "There was a window that had been filled in. Narrow with a slight arch."

"And it was near the walls?"

"I… I think so," Rose said. "The passage curved a bit and was hard to follow. But it was under the old city."

"Potentially part of an old monastery." the Doctor said. "Buried beneath the city."

"That technology definitely didn't belong here. I thought about trying to destroy it, but I wasn't sure what that would do."

"Good." The Doctor relaxed a little and nodded. "Did you see this monster?"

"No," Rose answered. "I heard it, but I didn't see it."

"I did." The Doctor shuddered a little. "I think dealing with the beasty is step one."

"How do we do that?" Rose asked. "I'll be honest; I didn't see much in the way of controls on the machine."

"What did it look like?"

Rose furrowed her brow. "There were a lot of wires and a few gears. Some glowing parts in the middle of everything and a lever." She shook her head. "There might have been more, but I was distracted by Darkening." Rose looked down at her wrist. "My sword was made by the White Guardian. Could it help at all?" She remembered the Neverweres and the Seventh Doctor vividly.

"Likely," the Doctor said. He looked around them. "Let's get to a better lit area."

"Why is everything so dark?" Rose asked. "Is it because the photons aren't able to function fully here?"

He beamed at her, taking her left hand and starting to guide her towards the main square. "That's exactly it. Photons are experiencing a muting effect due to time being off. Let's just be grateful that they work at all or we'd both be blind."

Rose shivered at the idea of being completely blind with that monster and Darkening running around. As they walked, she looked around for any others. Every so often she caught sight of one of the people trapped, but none came forward. Rose suspected that with the monster on the prowl they were all too scared of getting too close to the troublemakers.

"I have an idea," the Doctor said. As they walked, he started digging through his left pocket. "If I have the right stuff."

"We have the TARDIS."

"I don't want to draw attention to her," the Doctor whispered. "The more we open the door, the more her defenses will drop."

Rose nodded. The idea of Darkening being able to transport the TARDIS worried her, but at least if things got bad, they could still retreat to the faithful blue box. Eventually, the Doctor had to let go of her hand so that he could dig through his right pocket. He'd gathered a few small trinkets that didn't look like much, but Rose knew better than to assume they were nothing.

He made a happy sound as he pulled out a few more small things in his hand and then started looking around. For a moment, he seemed confused and lost. His brow furrowed and Rose had the distinct impression that he was seeing things that she wasn't. All she could do was hope that it wasn't too bad. Then he shook his head and blinked, seemingly back to normal.

"Electronics store," he announced. "Down this way."

Rose followed, taking a few of the small items from him carefully. They weren't familiar at all, but most looked like some machine parts of some kind. The Doctor had a plan at least, that was reassuring. They reached the electronics store, and the Doctor gently set one of the trinkets on the windowsill so he could pull out the sonic screwdriver. With a flick, he opened the door, collected the bit and stepped inside.

The air was extra stale here. No alarm went off, but then again they were ghosts of sorts. Rose wasn't sure how this all worked in the real world but followed him inside. The Doctor pointed to coils of cable and had Rose start grabbing items including a Blu-ray player. He rolled a long line of cable that he found in the back out the front door. Still not alarms and started to assemble his various pieces together into a machine using the Blu-ray player as the base.

"So, what happens with the things that we move?" Rose asked. "Are they only moved in this slice of space-time or is it reflected in the real world?"

"It's reflected in proper time." The Doctor didn't even look up at her as he answered. "Objects are being affected even if time is slightly out of synch."

"But then surely people have noticed," Rose said. "I mean, this many ghosts moving things, people have got to notice."

"These so-called ghosts don't need to eat or sleep," the Doctor answered. "Their physical needs are completely suspended, so food isn't missing."

"Don't need to," Rose repeated. "But surely it brings them pleasure to at least try new foods?"

The Doctor chuckled and looked up at her. "Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Does food sound good? Think about it?"

Rose did, and her jaw tingled. It was that odd warning signal before you were sick and she promptly pushed away thoughts of food. That was distressing. The Doctor chuckled again.

"Your body doesn't understand what is happening to it, but it knows that it can't handle trying to digest. Anyway, the ghosts don't need to move anything. I'm sure some do and that there are reports of hauntings, but it doesn't achieve anything. When this started, I suspect that they tried to communicate, but eventually… they probably gave up after too many disappointments."

"So they are just stuck here? Watching?"

"Sometimes." The Doctor looked uncomfortable and gave her a soft look. "Rose, their personal time may be distorted as well. If they're lucky, one year to the real world is much shorter to them."

"How likely is that?" Rose wasn't sure if that was better or worse. To see the world in blinks.

"Not sure. Never seen anything like this. We'll help them as much as we can, I promise."

Rose swallowed and nodded. "Let me know what I can do to help."

The Doctor and Rose kept pulling more cabling out of the shop, and Rose was getting worried. While it was an electronics store, there was only so much basic cabling available, even in the back. They stripped wires down and used their sonic devices to alter them just a little before connecting the metal wires in a large braided hoop of metal.

Suddenly a roar echoed down the street, and the Doctor picked up the speed. Rose turned towards the sound, trying to determine the distance, but sound felt slightly distorted just like light. She couldn't be sure how much time they had. Glancing back at the Doctor, she watched him finish the hoop. It was about three feet across.

"We need to lure it into the hoop," the Doctor said. Standing up, he moved back to the machine he'd cobbled together. "Then I need you to touch the wires with your sword. Touch, not cut."

"And this will do what?"

"Should snap the creature back into the proper space-time location."

The should hung in the air, but Rose didn't push. They were in warped space-time caused by an unknown alien using a machine they knew very little about. Around her, the colors were shifting in and out, and Rose was starting to worry that they'd end up distorting between points in time. If she lost the Doctor… Rose pushed that idea away.

Keeping her sword up, Rose looked back at the loop and tried to sort out her strategy. There wasn't much she could plan for, but the Doctor nodded encouragingly and shifted back from the loop. There were no details that Rose could see. It was a gaping mass of black, a void in the rough shape of a ten-foot-tall creature with legs and short arms, a bit like a bear maybe. It roared, and Rose raised her sword. It moved closer, the force of its weight on the ground making it shake. Rose's hand trembled, but she stayed firm and kept her sword at the ready. When it came close enough to lunge at her, Rose swung her blade. It sliced into the creature's arm, and there was a burst of golden light. With a roar, it wheeled back, and Rose jumped back across the loop.

For an instant, she feared that she'd gone too far and it would run. But then it roared again, the sounds shaking the world around them and lumbered forward. Rose held her breathe. It crossed into the loop, taking a swing at her.

"Rose! Now!"

She thrust the sword down, tapping the tip against the coils. There was a flash of golden light. For a split second the sounds were clearer, and the taste of the air was fresher. Then the light cleared and the world dimmed once more, but the creature was gone.

"Fantastic!" the Doctor cheered. Jumping forward, he grinned at Rose and swept her into a hug. She laughed with relief and hugged him back, letting the sword return to bracelet form. "Lucky to have one of those blades handy."

"Lucky," Rose repeated with a smile.

"Yes, my Fortuna," the Doctor said fondly.

"Doctor!" Another voice called. "Rose!"

They both turned and found a blonde woman with short hair jogging towards them. It only took Rose a moment to recognize the figure.

"Kate!" Rose cried in relief. The woman looked exhausted but pleased as she looked at Rose. "You're alright!"

"I'm fine, Rose," Kate answered.

Rose hugged her, not letting Kate's hesitation stop her. The woman almost slumped against her, and Rose wondered just what had happened. "I'm fine, just tired. I've been running around trying to find some of the others."

"You can't find them?" Rose asked in alarm. "But everyone was taken."

"Apparently our host when he takes groups of people, scatters them in different layers." Kate's tone was sharp and vicious. "So that they can't support each other or work together. It's only luck that I'm here with you at all."

"How'd you find us?" the Doctor asked.

"Followed the uproar."

The Doctor smiled at that before turning his attention back to his wiring. Kate glanced at what he was working on and then back towards the shop they'd pulled it all out of. Rose did not doubt that she was checking the name for cleanup.

"So, what are we dealing with?" Kate asked.

"Alien who landed on Earth, probably through a wormhole," the Doctor said. He didn't even look up and kept twisting the different wires together. "Had enough equipment that he could try to get home. Set himself up as a monk, likely for privacy and access to gold, and tries to build another portal for himself. It doesn't work, and he creates a localized rip in space-time. As he tries to fix it, he can't, but he finds that he can build bubbles of time-space." The Doctor shrugged. "Can't say for certain when he started all this."

"The oldest ghost I've come across is Tudor," Kate said.

"Yeah," the Doctor said softly.

"Wait," Rose said. "Darkening said something about fading into the ether." The Doctor's whole body tensed. "Doctor?"

"Darkening isn't human and is in control of the machine. He survives, but… his victims. Some of them will eventually be swallowed up by the distortions. There were probably older ghosts once upon a time, but they've been consumed."

"So, if we can't escape-," Kate said.

"We can," the Doctor said firmly.

"Can we use this to snap the others back to their places?" Rose gestured to the coil.

"I wouldn't want to use this on a sapient being," the Doctor said. He shuddered a little and Rose decided to let it drop. "But we can use it to disrupt Darkening's machine." Bending down, he picked up his machine and Kate scrambled for the coils once he had turned it off. "I think it's time that I met this Darkening face to face."

In the softly glowing Christmas lights strung up around them, the Doctor looked extra dangerous. Rose almost felt sorry for Darkening.


	7. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas Ghost Stories

Chapter Seven: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

By Lumendea

AN: A very happy New Year to all! I will see you on 19 January 2019 for Journey Amongst the Stars!

…

The Doctor barked instructions to Kate for preparing the coils for travel. She didn't argue and knelt to help him while Rose kept watch. So far, there was no sign of another monster or its return, and she was optimistic that the Doctor's machine had worked just right. His comment about sapient beings and the machine worried her a little. She felt a little sorry for the creature. The poor thing had probably been afraid and in pain who knew how Darkening had controlled it.

"What happened at UNIT?" the Doctor asked. "Was there any warning?"

"There was an electrical spike," Kate said. "But it happened very fast. The computers fritzed and the cameras stopped working. Then some of us found ourselves in a darker version of the mobile unit. Some of the others were missing. Then a few vanished right in front of me."

"Anyone still with you?"

"Yes," Kate said. She picked up a coil of wires, carrying them wrapped around her arm. "This way. We came across a few of the other prisoners, and I left Doctor Mallory questioning them. They were much more willing to contact us once we were here."

"Easier for them," the Doctor said.

"Plus, Darkening probably doesn't care at this point," Rose said. "We're all prisoners, and if scary stories to the new arrivals keeps everyone in line, then that's better for him."

Kate frowned but nodded her agreement. Rose could see anger building in Kate's eyes. Shaking herself, Kate pointed back the way she'd come. "This way. Doctor Mallory will hopefully have some more information for us."

Rose nodded. She didn't think she'd ever met Doctor Mallory and wished that Malcolm was here. Then again, he'd probably be like an overly excited puppy. Still, Rose could have done with a few more friendly faces.

The darkness had not eased. Rose would have pulled out her torch again if she'd thought for a moment that it would help. There was the sound of muted Christmas carols and Rose looked up at the upper floors of the shops. Some of the windows had lights on, and she was reminded that people were still celebrating their Christmas Eve around them. Suddenly a window opened, and a young, fairly drunk young man leaned out.

"Merry Christmas to all!"

"Can he see us?" Kate asked the Doctor.

"Not sure," he answered. Then the Doctor stopped and waved up at the man. He didn't seem to notice them. A laughing friend pulled him back inside. "Maybe not. Hard to say for sure."

"This situation is fascinating and creepy," Kate said. She shuddered. "I'll be glad to go home."

Rose saw the Doctor swallow. He was hiding his worry well, but it was there. The Doctor slowed his strides enough for Kate and Rose keep up with him. His hand dropped and caught Rose's left hand. She smiled a little at the action.

They turned the corner and found two men in UNIT uniforms and a man in a white lab coat. In front of them was a small group of ghosts. One was a woman dressed in a go-go outfit like the kind she'd seen Jo wearing in old UNIT photos. Another was a man in a nondescript suit potentially from the late 50s, and the last was Marchbanks. Rose reminded herself that they weren't ghosts.

"Doctor Mallory!" Kate called.

The man in the lab coat turned towards them. He was younger than Rose expected and of Indian descent with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His eyes were wide with both excitement and fear.

"Stewart!" His relief was obvious, and the two soldiers with him visibly relaxed. "Oh, and you found- oh my-"

"This is the Doctor," Kate said quickly. She gestured to the Doctor who nodded in greeting but was paying more attention to the prisoners. "And this is Rose Tyler."

Mallory glanced at the Doctor nervously and nodded in return. Then he stepped closer to Roses and extended his hand. "It is a pleasure, Miss Tyler. I've heard so much about you from Malcolm and your file is a fascinating read."

"It's nice to meet you, Doctor Mallory," Rose replied.

"Something has changed in the air," Marchbanks declared. He looked at Rose and the Doctor thoughtfully. "Darkening… I am unsure, but he is adjusting something."

"He might be panicking." Rose looked to the Doctor. "His absolute control is failing."

"Be warned," Marchbanks said seriously. "He'll set his foul beast upon you before he allows you to wrestle controls. Others have tried."

"The beast is gone," the Doctor said.

"The beast is gone?" Marchbanks asked. His eyes were wide, and Rose could see hope flickering in the dark orbs. "Truly?"

"Sent back where it belongs," the Doctor said.

"Can you do that for us?" Marchbanks asked. "Send us back?"

"No," the Doctor answered. "I'm sorry, I can pull you out of this distortion, but it will be to modern York. Sending you back isn't possible."

Kate glanced at him, but Rose understood. These people were gone in the past. History had moved on without them, and at this point, they'd seen too much of the modern world. Still, she could only hope that what they'd seen would be enough to help them adjust.

Marchbanks said nothing. He swallowed and nodded, casting his eyes around the York surrounding them. Rose supposed that he hadn't seen as much of the modern world as she first thought. They were all stuck between the walls.

"Doctor," Mallory said. "What now? Do you know a way to send us home? I can't use any of my equipment in the mobile lab. It's all too sensitive."

"It would be," the Doctor said. He nodded to the coils that Kate was carrying. "Thankfully, I always carry a few useful odds and end."

"Who are you?" Marchbanks asked. "Some sort of sorcerer? I'd long dismissed such beings as fancy."

"He's the Doctor," Rose answered. "And he's here to help."

Mallory got a star-struck look on her face while Kate smiled a little. Marchbanks didn't know how to respond, but Rose didn't think that admitting that the Doctor was an alien like Darkening would help matters.

"You know the way to Darkening's tunnel, right?" Rose asked. "I'm not sure I could find it again."

"I do know the way," Marchbanks agreed. He looked at the other ghosts. "You should shelter yourselves. If we fail-"

He stopped himself, and a shudder passed through Darkening's prisoners. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, anger flashing in them and Rose's hear ached just imagining some of the horrors that had been inflicted on these people. Perhaps once upon a time, this being had only wanted to go home, but his sins now piled high, and she felt no pity for his plight.

"I'll show you the way," Marchbanks said. "We should hurry, lest he seek another protector."

He nodded down the street, his feathered hat shifting with the movement. It was still perfectly intact. Rose had to wonder about that, and his curled hair or maybe his wig was still in very good shape. Then again, if time wasn't moving forward, then nothing would decay. Kate stayed close to the Doctor, but when the other ghosts drew back nervously, she ordered Mallory and the soldiers to stay with them.

Rose's heart raced as they approached the small entrance again. It was still and silent without the beast on guard. That didn't make her feel better. Nothing tried to stop them when Marchbanks led the way into the tunnel. The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver, letting it scan their surroundings.

Then they were in the room. It appeared empty, and Rose held her sword at the ready. Marchbanks glanced at her with a slight frown but said nothing. On the far worktable against the wall sat the massive machine, still humming softly. In two long strides, the Doctor crossed the room.

"Is that it?" Kate asked. She came up next to him. "It seems too small to do so much."

Rose started circling the room, scanning all the corners for any sign of Darkening. She was too aware that a man who could control space-time, even if only in a small area, could be hiding in another level.

"It works by bending one dimension over another, and opening a doorway through," the Doctor told Kate.

"Like the TARDIS?" Rose snorted, and the Doctor looked offended. "Not like the TARDIS then."

"Similar in theory," the Doctor allowed. "But this is rough, and Darkening is using himself as the control system." He shook his head. "I'm almost impressed."

"And I am impressed by you, Doctor." They all turned to find Darkening behind them, watching with suspicious eyes and a frown. Rose knew that she'd checked there. Marchbanks lunged forward, but his blade passed through Darkening like he wasn't there. "Time is meaningless to me. I have contemplated the mysteries, the physics of the universe, of time, of life itself. Every being that has become part of my dominion feeds my existence. You came here by your power and elude my control. You and your companion."

"You overestimate yourself," the Doctor said. His blue eyes burned with anger. "Pulling people into your trap, feeding on their life force until they fade away. And you're not even trying to get home anymore."

"Why would I? Here I rule a domain with absolute power."

"Your power isn't as absolute as you're like to believe," the Doctor said with a smirk. He reached over and took the coils quickly from Kate. Darkening's eye flashed at the Doctor's dismissal, and Rose summoned her sword, stepping between them. She didn't know if her sword would do more, but she was willing to bet it would. "Thank you, Rose," the Doctor said. "Kate, try to stay with us. If he banishes you, I promise that we will get you out."

"Banishes-"

Darkening snarled and raised his hands. "I control my domain!"

Something pressed against Rose's chest, a pressure wave that she couldn't see. It twisted around her, and she gasped in relief. But Kate and Marchbanks were flickering. She quickly put everything else she'd been carrying on the old work table while the Doctor started reassembling all of it.

"I'll see you on the other side, Doctor," Kate said. "We're counting on you."

Narrowing his eyes at Darkening, the Doctor nodded and kept working. Marchbanks' fear was more apparent, but he said nothing as he faded away. Rose shifted closer to the Doctor, making sure that her sword was ready for whatever he needed.

"The pair of you remain?" Darkening sounds truly shocked.

"Time Lord, your tricks won't work on me." He didn't offer an explanation for Rose. "We came here by our power, not yours."

Fear overtook Darkening's face. Suddenly Rose saw him for the desperate old man that he was and strode forward. He didn't offer any resistance. With a fearful yelp, he stumbled back from her, allowing himself to be pinned into a corner. For good measure, Rose brought up her sword and shifted it, so the low light glittered off the blade. The alien nodded and stayed put, terror on his face. Rose watched his expressions as the Doctor worked behind her. There was anger, despair, and fascination all at once.

"What matter of men are you?" Darkening asked. "Time Lord? The name is unfamiliar."

"And you don't need to know," the Doctor said behind him. "I'll give you some credit; this machine is impressive given you cobbled it together almost a thousand years ago."

"It never did what I built it for. I was condemned here!"

"You shouldn't use words you don't understand," the Doctor barked. "You were stuck. You condemned your victims. Using their life forces, their temporal potential to power your device."

Then the Doctor was next to her, glaring at Darkening. "When did you stop trying to get home and just start enjoying being able to torture others? You haven't made adjustments in centuries. You just gave in to the power."

Darkening's expression shifted. "Total power over the lives of lesser beings, who wouldn't seek such a thing? It is temptation of the highest order."

"Let's hope this works," the Doctor muttered.

"What are you doing?" Darkening demanded. "Leave my machine alone!"

"You said that they couldn't all be freed!" Rose hissed.

"It's not likely to work," the Doctor admitted. "But I'm going to try. It's Christmas," he said in a softer voice. "What better night for a miracle?"

"Stop! I command you to stop!"

"Rose, touch your sword here please," the Doctor said.

He was grinning, completely at ease. Rose ignored Darkening and tapped the end of her sword to where the Doctor indicated. The air started to shimmer. Ozone hit Rose's nose. Darkening rushed at them, his hands extended and reaching for his machine. The Doctor shifted and tossed the nearest coil at Darkening. The man caught it on impulse, and the Doctor pulled Rose away, twisting her around to shield her. Rose dropped her sword, letting it return to bracelet form.

There was a scream behind her. Something started burning. Then the Doctor was pushing her towards the tunnel. She didn't fight him. Rose started running. Behind them was a mess of smells and sounds, none of which sounds good. She didn't hear Darkening anymore but didn't stop to ask questions.

When she reached the street, Rose kept moving even as she gulped in the slightly fresher air. There was a loud rumble behind them, and Rose flinched. It seemed that the fire department was going to be working on Christmas Day. Coming to a stop, Rose spun around and looked behind them. She could still see the opening in the building, but smoke was billowing out of it. Around them, the air shuddered and turned cold. Rose shivered, and the Doctor stepped closer to her.

"It's okay," he promised. "The machine is gone. The time distortions are failing. Just hold onto me."

Obeying him, Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm and looked around. The buildings were all flickering with color. She tried to brace herself but had no idea of what to expect. The TARDIS had taken care of them before, and as the cold built, she wanted to rush back the time machine. But then it was gone. A flood of color returned, and the world brightened. Suddenly Rose could hear people in the buildings, and music, and smell the smoke. Turning around, she studied the building. There was a small fire spreading to the upper levels, and beside her, the Doctor grimaced.

"Positive, it isn't a residence," he said. "Downside, probably historical." Then he took Rose's hand. "Come on."

"Doctor!"

They both turned to find Kate and Marchbanks running up. The Cavalier was looking around at the world with wide and awed eyes. Kate grinned at them both.

"I take it that the machine is destroyed."

"It is?"

"And Darkening?" Marchbanks asked.

"He… I linked him to his machine," the Doctor offered. "There needed to be a final boost of life force to break the time distortion."

Rose and Kate both nodded, reading between the lines. Darkening rather than them or the other prisoners. Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand, feeling his nervousness and growing unease over the choice.

"Well…" Kate laughed and shook her head. "You're a bit more prone to explosions than you used to be, but we can get that cleaned up." People were starting to open windows on the street, and Kate nodded pointedly. "Come on."

It wasn't hard to find them. The former prisoners were cheering and crying while the UNIT soldiers and scientists tried to start organizing them. Rose was frozen in place as they turned the corner of the street. Over a hundred newly restored people were milling around in front of them in the middle of the square, looking at each other in surprise and relief. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, they started crying and hugging each other. A few rushed to others and fell sobbing into each other's arms. Rose caught sight of Marchbanks as two young children came running over to him. The man fell to his knees in tears and swept them up in his arms.

"They've been watching the progress of history," the Doctor said cheerfully to Kate. "They've seen mobiles and computers. Shouldn't be too much trouble for them to build new lives. Maybe near to each other for support."

Kate chuckled and shook her head fondly. "We'll take care of it," she promised. "Any side effects or long-term things we need to look for?"

"Not a clue," the Doctor said. "I've never seen anything like this before. They should all be okay." His grin was still wide on his face, and Kate could only smile.

"Alright," Kate chuckled. "I'll get people on new identities."

"Thank you," Rose said. "We really appreciate that."

Kate huffed but shook her head affectionately. "I suppose that you did us a favor."

"A favor?" the Doctor almost sounded offended.

"Don't start." Kate sighed dramatically. "Hopefully I can get this sorted quickly. Or else Dad is going to throw a fit."

"Give Alistair my best," the Doctor offered.

"Happy Christmas," Kate said. "Both of you."

Then she headed back to join her newly returned soldiers and get everyone organized. Rose didn't envy her the task.

"Happy Christmas," the Doctor said beside her. His soft smile made Rose melt like snow in the sun.

"Happy Christmas, Doctor." She leaned against his arm only for him to shift it around her shoulder, drawing her even closer. "Bad guy stopped." She nodded towards the people talking and crying together. "Best gift they could ask for." Leaning up she kissed his cheek. "And there's even still time to do Christmas with my mum. You can tell the Chesterton-Smith kids our new Christmas ghost story."

The Doctor's huff turned into a laugh as he guided them back towards the TARDIS. It wasn't the usual sort of Christmas, but Rose was more than happy with it.


End file.
